National Football League

Minnesota Vikings stock market report: Week 1 at Titans

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

Here is a look at the Minnesota Vikings players who elevated their stock, and those whose stock fell against the Titans in week 1 of the NFL season.

The Vikings beat the Titans, but that isn’t too much of a surprise. Minnesota was a playoff team last year, while the Titans played their way to a 3-13 record and the first-overall pick. The Titans will be a better team than they were last season, but they were no match for the Vikings today.

Minnesota was sluggish to begin the game and went into halftime with zero points on the scoreboard. Scoring 25 points in the second half was impressive, however, even if the offense failed to put the ball in the endzone.

Let’s take a look at the players who raised or lowered their stock after the first game of the regular season

Aug 28, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) catches a pass against the San Diego Chargers in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings won 23-10. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Stock up: Stefon Diggs

Stefon Diggs started his sophomore season by slicing through Tennessee’s defense, catching seven passes for 103 yards.

The Vikings have been a run-first team for a while now, so any receiver who eclipses 100 yards is impressive. What’s even more impressive to me is the confidence Diggs is showing. There are certain positions on a football team that require a player to be confident, and receiver is perhaps the biggest one of them all. It’s good to see Diggs oozing confidence, let’s just hope it doesn’t turn into cockiness.

Bradford waiting in the wings to take over for Shaun Hill should only improve Diggs’ outlook. Bradford is similar to Teddy Bridgewater, as they both have incredible touch and accuracy on the short to intermediate throws. If Diggs can continue running precision routes, he will quickly become Bradford’s favorite target.

Sep 11, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Shaun Hill (13) reacts after an incomplete pass during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Down: The Offensive Line

Which offensive lineman saw his stock fall during Sunday’s game?

All of them.

Even though the offensive line didn’t give up a sack against the Titans, Shaun Hill was constantly under pressure. The Vikings were able to get away with it because of who the opponent was, but when they play teams with better defenses there will be issues.

While the pass blocking was suspect, it was the run blocking that really hurt Minnesota. The offensive line was unable to open any creases for Adrian Peterson to run through, which is why Peterson finished with only 31 yards on 19 carries. The paltry 1.6 yards per carry is the fourth worst mark in Peterson’s career (126 games).

The Titans were a top 10 team against the run last season, allowing only 3.9 yards per carry. However, the Vikings will need to play much better on the ground if they want to be considered a playoff team this year. With Bridgewater lost for the season, it’s up to the defense and running came to carry the team. Even though it’s only been one game, it’s clear the team has a lot of work to do.

Sep 11, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter (99) picks up a Tennessee Titans fumble and runs for a touchdown during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Minnesota won 25-16. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Up: The Defensive Line

Unlike the Vikings’ run blockers, the defensive line apparently got the memo that they needed to step their game up if the team wants to take things to the next level.

There were three defensive linemen who really stood out against the Titans, proving to the rest of the NFL that the Vikings’ defensive line is one of the deepest in the league.

Linval Joseph has set out to prove 2015 was not a fluke, and he didn’t disappoint in the first game of 2016. Joseph filled up the stat sheet, accumulating a sack, quarterback hit and a tackle for a loss to go along with his five tackles. What makes it even better is knowing Joseph was constantly double-teamed by Tennessee.

Danielle Hunter had himself a heck of a game. Even though he didn’t start, Hunter rotated in and saw plenty of snaps. Hunter, like Joseph, had a sack, quarterback hit and a tackle for a loss. Hunter one-upped Joseph, however, when he scooped up a Marcus Mariota fumble and returned it for one of the Vikings’ two defensive touchdowns.

Brian Robison, the player who will eventually relinquish his starting role to Hunter, proved today why the Vikings coaches still have faith in him. Robison had a beautiful tackle for a loss to go along with a pass deflection. Minnesota will eventually move on from Brian Robison to Danielle Hunter, but that won’t be because of a decline in his skills, but rather the impressiveness of Hunter.

Sep 11, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh (3) kicks the ball as Tennessee Titans defensive back Valentino Blake (47) defends at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Down: The Kickers

We’ve all heard about the missed kick by Blair Walsh in the playoffs last year. While the miss wasn’t as heart-breaking as the one in 1998, it still eliminated Minnesota from the playoffs, and Vikings fans will be hearing about it for a while.

Today did nothing to alleviate the fears of Vikings fans world-wide.

Walsh made four field goals on the day, but he also missed two, in addition to the missed extra point. A 66.7 percentage is unacceptable for a kicker in the NFL, and that figure doesn’t even include the miss that wasn’t counted because the Titan’s coach attempted to “freeze” Walsh.

Jeff Locke wasn’t any better for Minnesota, as the punter averaged only 37.7 yards and virtually no hang time on his three punts. Until the Vikings can prove to opposing defenses that they can complete passes down field, defenses will continue to load the line of scrimmage to stop Peterson. The punter will be vitally important when the Vikings can’t move the ball on the ground, and Locke needs to do better than 37.7 yards.

If the special teams don’t improve drastically, they will lose a game or two for the Vikings this season. I have faith that Blair Walsh will improve upon his season debut, but I’m not so sure about Locke.

Sep 11, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks (54) runs for a touchdown after an interception during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Up: Eric Kendricks

Eric Kendricks almost ended up on the stock down list. To begin the game, Kendricks missed multiple tackles that enabled the Titans to gouge the Vikings on the ground. Luckily for him, and the entire team, he was able to overcome his early errors to resume his role as the sure-fire tackling machine.

The biggest play of the game came at the end of the third quarter. WithMinnesota trailing, the Titans were moving the ball up the field at will. Mariota was able to make plays of 17, 16, 10, 5 and 7 yards, taking the Titans from their own 34 yard line to the Vikings’ 24. Kendricks intercepted Mariota’s next pass and turned on the jets to return the INT 77 yards for the score. That pick-six gave Minnesota a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

It was good to see Kendricks shake off the rust from missing time in the preseason. Most of the time, the Vikings’ defensive schemes will funnel the ball carrier to Kendricks, so it’s important that he is able to shed blocks and secure the tackle. He led the team in tackles as a rookie, and his play in today’s game only proves that the sky is the limit for this sophomore linebacker.

Stock market report for week 1: Vikings at Titans

Who from the Minnesota Vikings do you think increased their stock the most during the 2016 NFL regular season opener against the Titans and who saw their value plummet? Leave your thoughts, opinions, and ideas in the comments below.

More from The Viking Age

This article originally appeared on

share

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Football League